Wednesday, August 10, 2011

White Material









Carson Lund said...

You've brought back all the memories of this brilliant film for me with this great essay, Ed. In some ways the politics here aren't as complex or multilayered as they are in some of her other films - it's clearly an indictment of colonialist privilege - but it's all executed with such subtlety and abstractness. That is to say, the political undertow can be both specific to this milieu and more universal. I love the early scene when Maria is biking down the dirt road and stops to hear the helicopter's warnings. It's shot with such a creepy handheld approach. Denis is able to use handheld in a very interesting way, never for the purpose of "realism" but never quite inextricable from that either. Impressionistic is the word, but it still doesn't go far to explain the distinctive effect of her images.

Ed Howard said...

Thanks, Carson. I'd agree that the political outrage is unusually direct for Denis, but as you say it does have her usual aesthetic in other ways. And I love how it's balanced between the specific and the universal, set in this generic African locale that could be almost anywhere, in the past or, even more sadly, the future.

I also have some difficulty expressing just what makes Denis' images so special. There's a very distinctive quality to her imagery, somewhat distanced and abstracted but also emotionally affecting in very powerful ways. Her work is so cerebral, in that there's almost always a sociopolitical thread winding through the plot, and yet also so visceral and emotionally intense. That balance is what makes her so great, I think.

Sam Juliano said...

Yes, Ed, it is certainly a chilling and harrowing film, and very much a continuation of Denis' incredible streak of resonant works with the upper etchelon of world cinema mastery. As you note earlier in your review it follows up on the colonial African settings that served CHOCOLAT and BEAU TRAVAIL so effectively, but what with it's extensive use of flashbaks, liptice narrative and fractured chronology it's a far more abstract work. Denis, much like Michael Haneke, specializes in the unamed country theme, always preferring to accentuate the universality of her themes.(oddly enough I am not sure if you would wholly agree, but I did find some interesting thematic kinship between this film and TIME OF THE WOLF). So happy you mentioned Tindersticks' music here as I was preparing to dive in headfirst on that element. And again the great Isabelle Huppert adds a memorable chapter to her storied career.

You really say it all here:


Ed Howard said...

Thanks, Sam. That's a GREAT comparison to Time of the Wolf. I don't know why Haneke didn't occur to me, but there's definitely some strong aesthetic and thematic similarities there. Both films have that apocalyptic tone and atmosphere, which is interesting because while Haneke's film is literally apocalyptic, Denis just finds the apocalypse in current-day events.

And yes, Tindersticks are awesome. Such a good band, and I especially love their Denis scores.